


Raptor's Song

by ashitanoyuki



Series: Accidental Kidnapping AU [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental kidnapping, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cages, Captivity, Confinement, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Kidnapping, Lima Syndrome, Other, Restraints, Stockholm Syndrome, things get worse before they get better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 07:23:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20671517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashitanoyuki/pseuds/ashitanoyuki
Summary: Years ago, Keith Shirogane suffered a traumatic experience when he was kidnapped and held hostage after a bank robbery. With the help of his brother, he began to rebuild his life. But a shady coworker threatens to undo his progress, and Keith finds himself struggling to remain sane as his past trauma is replicated - and even made worse.





	Raptor's Song

Keith bit down his irritation as Shiro fussed over the collar of his stiff new dress shirt. “I'll be fine,” he insisted, batting his brother's hands away, unable to keep his lips from turning down in a frown. “I'm frickin' twenty-five years old, Shiro. Stop babying me. Don't you have to get to work too?” He wasn’t _that _damn traumatized.

Shiro frowned, his lips thinning, watching Keith with dark, concerned eyes. “Excuse me for worrying,” he grumbled, averting his gaze. “Sue me for being concerned your agoraphobia will make a reappearance when you're en route.”

Okay, Keith had to admit that his brother had a point. His agoraphobia had fucked with him – at _first. _He’d been recovering for _years._

It had been well over six years since he'd been taken hostage and kidnapped for collateral during a bank robbery. Shiro had taken him to the hospital near their home after retrieving him days later, and that had been fine, but Keith had panicked on the way home from the hospital, clawing up Shiro's arm and nearly throwing himself out of the car in an attempt to return to the safety of the hospital building when Shiro had tried to bring him home. Keith had spent the next three years sequestered in the safety of their little one-story house; he had completed his college degree online, and his counselor and physical therapist had both agreed to make home visits.

But over the past three years, he'd grown past his trauma-induced agoraphobia. He could go to the grocery store, take the car to the gas station, even go to the mall if Shiro was with him. He would never regain full functionality in his limbs, but his nerve damage was minimal; if something happened, the techniques he’d learned from his home self-defense instructor would be more than sufficient.

And he knew he was ready for a job in the outside world. Sure, Shiro had accompanied him on the phone when he’d met virtually with his potential supervisor, and had accompanied him in-person to the physical interview, but Shiro couldn't babysit him forever. He could get to work on his own; he could leave the life of a freelance journalist, shut in in their study, behind. He was ready to experience the world again.

* * *

Allura Serrano, head of HR, was as pleasant in person as she had been on the phone. Prematurely silver hair shone in a neat bun, and glittering blue eyes crinkled warmly within her dark-skinned face as she extended a hand towards Keith. “Mr. Shirogane, I take it?” she said.

“Yeah, I'm Keith,” he said, awkwardly shaking her hand, acutely aware that she was the first new person he'd directly interacted with outside his home in six years. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Serrano.”

“Please – Allura is just fine,” she said, smiling. “Well! I'll just take you around the office and introduce you to your colleagues. As I'm sure you already know, Voltron Press is a relatively small newspaper, so I'm afraid there's not many people to meet.”

Keith had known that – it was part of why he'd applied to Voltron Press and chosen it over several other, larger newspapers. A smaller paper meant fewer coworkers – less stress, considering how long he'd been sequestered away from the outside world.

The chief editor, Kolivan Marmora – with whom he’d had a phone interview – was out of the office, Allura explained this, but she introduced him to junior editors (and, coincidentally, brothers) Antok and Regris Blade, to whom he, as a journalist, would answer. She then took him around to meet Ryan Kinkade and Nadia Rizavi, the photographers; Hunk Garret and James Griffin, reporters; Katie “Pidge" Holt, head of IT; Ina Leifsdottir, his fellow journalist; and Lance Serrano, their photo editor and graphic designer. (Keith didn't miss the fond look on Allura's face when she introduced Lance, the beam Lance sent her way, or the rings on their left hands – a married couple, then.)

“And last is our archivist and historian,” Allura said, leading Keith through the kitchen and towards a back office with the door shut. She knocked politely. “Lotor, come meet the new guy!”

The door swung open, and Keith took a step back, craning his neck to meet a pair of unnervingly familiar indigo eyes. A chill ran down his spine as he met the handsome man's gaze, barely noticing his smooth skin, even features, and pristine white hair, so jarringly unsettling was the man's gaze.

Those indigo eyes widened slightly at the sight of Keith, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck.

“Lotor,” Allura said, “this is Keith Shirogane, the new journalist. Keith, Lotor Sincline is our historian.”

Keith forced himself to extend a slightly trembling hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

An awkward smile crossed Lotor's face, somewhat forced. “A pleasure,” he said in a low, familiar voice; Keith barely stifled a gasp as ice crawled down his spine.

It had to be coincidence. It had to be some sort of trauma response.

There was no way that Lotor’s gaze, and Lotor’s voice, matched up with his memories of “Bossman” from years ago.

Surely, there was no way this was the same man who had kidnapped him in college.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lotor said, reaching out to smoothly take his hand.

Keith swallowed hard. “Likewise,” he managed. “Lotor, right?”

Lotor’s eyes narrowed. “Yes,” he said coolly. “I look forward to working with you, Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> *Shrugs* Traumatic Kidnapping AU I came up with like 8 months ago is GO!


End file.
